Google Lens is quietly arriving on the Pixel and Pixel XL

Google Lens is arguably one of the highlights of the camera on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but it’s already seemingly rolling out for the original Pixel and Pixel XL.

The feature is built into Google Photos and allows the phone to identify what’s in your pictures, which could be handy for example if you want to know the name of a landmark or a type of flower.

Reddit users have reported finding the feature on their original Pixel handsets and apparently this happened without any software update, so it’s worth checking the app if you’re rocking a Pixel or Pixel XL. Not everyone is seeing Google Lens yet though.

The best is yet to come

While it’s a handy feature, its current form is just the beginning, as Google Lens will ultimately also be built into Google Assistant, letting you point your camera at things and get information or options without having to first snap a photo.

For example, pointing it at a phone number could let you call that number, while pointing it at Wi-Fi login details could let you connect to the network.

We don’t know exactly when those features will arrive, but they’re probably not far behind, and even in its current form Google Lens is a useful upgrade for your Pixel’s camera.